Administrators at the Mansfield Independent School District are now saying that an elementary school art teacher, who was suspended after she sought LGBT protections for students and employees, was actually suspended because a parent had complained the teacher mentioned her wife to students. Stacy Bailey has been an art teacher at Charlotte Anderson Elementary School…
Texas Teacher Suspended After Seeking to Add LGBT Protections to School District’s Policy
A teacher from Arlington, Texas was put on administrative leave with pay after she sought to open a discussion about adding LGBT protections to the Mansfield Independent School District’s nondiscrimination policy. Stacy Bailey has been an art teacher at Charlotte Anderson Elementary School in Arlington for the past 10 years and is a former teacher…
2017 in Review: Top Ten LGBT News Stories
1) Ron Nirenberg elected Mayor of San Antonio In June, City Councilman Ron Nirenberg became mayor after winning a decisive victory over incumbent Ivy R. Taylor. Nirenberg received 54 percent of the vote while Taylor brought in 45 percent. The LGBT community cheered the victory, supporting a politician who during his campaign said, “We deserve…
2017 in Review: A Year in the Life of LGBT SA
A select month-by-month recap of stories about our community reported here and elsewhere in 2017. JANUARY Jeffrey James is Fiesta Cornyation’s King Anchovy LII The board of directors of Fiesta Cornyation, billed as “the raunchiest, cheapest event of Fiesta,” announced in January that this year’s King Anchovy LII was Jeffrey James, the proprietor of James…
SAISD Board Hears From Anti-LGBT Protesters, Votes to Protect DACA Students
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. On August 21, the San Antonio Independent School District board updated district policy to include protections for students or teachers discriminated against for their “gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.” But like a failed game of telephone, SAISD parents, anti-LGBT advocates, and conservative lobbyists showed up to…
Anti-LGBT Group Texas Values Protests SAISD’s Nondiscrimination Policy Changes
The anti-LGBT group Texas Values is protesting changes made on August 21 to the nondiscrimination policy of the San Antonio Independent School District which now includes protections for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Jonathan Saenz, the president of Texas Values, was the featured speaker at a protest rally with about 15 people in…
SAISD Adds Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity to Non-Discrimination Policy
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. The San Antonio Independent School District board voted unanimously Monday evening to add new protections to the district’s non-discrimination ordinance. Now, students and employees will be protected from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. “SAISD has to advance with the times and lead…
SAISD offers plus-one insurance for employees with domestic partners
The San Antonio Independent School District has sent a letter to its employees announcing it is expanding its group health benefits to include plus-one coverage so that employees can insure one additional adult living in their household who meets all the required criteria. The plus-one plan permits SAISD employees in same-sex relationships to insure their…